The Wrong Man — page 76: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—— 3 THE WRONG MAN. to the jury, his eyes seemed fairly starting from‘his herd. And when the dreadful sentence of death was pronounced, he came _ near falling to the earth, so excessive was his agitation. El bowing his way to the tin peddler, he asked, in a husky whis per: “ Massa Dodge, is dey gwine to hang him ?” “Hang who ?” ** Massa Dudley.” “ That’s what they say.” “ How soon ?” “Three weeks from to-day, they say,” replied the peddier, With a meaning emphasis upon the last two words. - “Free weeks,” replied the negro, as if commuring with him- self. “Free weeks; dat am a considerable time.” a ot so darned long, either. What did you ax for, Snow- sed “N wre og replied Cato, as though he disliked to be ed upon it. “ You needn’t mind telling Miss Lucy that ari Soy g' wine to on and added Dodge. “ Do you understand “ Why not?” “They hain’t hung him, you know, and you needn't scare ler. Remember.” “See then—hello! Beg pardon, Shoe-pegs.” As he spoke, the peddier ejected a mouthful of tobacco-juice square in the face of the shoemaker, who was striving to catch the tenor of his words. The man humbly wiped his face, deem- he best to say nothing, and was not caught eavesdropping ag vin. ‘Lhe town of Adrianaopolis nominally contained a jail and a tiary ; but he who souglit for these edifices through the Village, would have found their existence, like that of many other things projected by its far-forward-looking founder, in Suturo—a tiction. In the meanwhile, the block-house, about a mile and a half from the town, answered the purpose of both. though but seldom required to be used in either capacity. In- deed, its doors had hardly been opened since three years before, when an incursion of the Indians being appreh a quan- _ tity of powder and other military stores had been deposited in its vault, with a view to being prepared for the worst. To this bu'‘iding Charles Dudiey was committed.